John 14: I am the way, the truth, and the life

A farewell spoken at supper

Chapters 14 to 17 of John are often called the Farewell Discourse. Jesus is still at the table on the night he will be arrested; Judas has left, and Jesus has just told Peter that he will deny him. The disciples are frightened, and chapter 14 is Jesus speaking to that fear. He tells them that in his Father's house are many mansions, or dwelling places, and that he is going ahead to prepare a place for them.

Why did Jesus say “I am the way, the truth, and the life”?

Thomas, the disciple later remembered for doubting, speaks up with admirable candor: they do not know where Jesus is going, so how can they know the way? Jesus answers in verse 6 with three nouns, and then adds that no one comes to the Father except through him. The answer shifts the question from a route to a person. The disciples do not need a map; they need to stay with the one who is going.

Each word carries weight in John. The way recalls the road the disciples have walked with him for three years. The truth echoes the opening of the Gospel, where the Word is full of grace and truth. The life echoes the raising of Lazarus two chapters earlier, where Jesus calls himself the resurrection and the life. Philip then asks to be shown the Father, and Jesus replies that whoever has seen him has seen the Father (verse 9).

The chapter ends with two gifts. Jesus promises another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach them and bring his words to their memory, and he leaves them his peace, not as the world gives.

Read at funerals and ordinations

The first six verses are among the readings most often chosen for Christian funerals, in Protestant and Catholic services alike, because they speak of a prepared place and a trusted guide. Verse 6 is also a favorite for confirmation, graduation and ordination cards, and it has been painted on church walls for centuries. In Eastern icons of Christ Pantocrator, the “Ruler of all,” the open Gospel book in his hand frequently carries a line from John.

“The Way” in the early church

The Book of Acts shows that the first followers of Jesus were known simply as people of the Way (Acts 9:2). The phrase from John 14 thus became a name for the whole movement. Hebrews 10:20 later speaks of a new and living way opened for believers, and the letters of John return to the pairing of truth and life that verse 6 joins together.